Overseas Champions

The Overseas Champions are four duelists from four separate branches of Duel Academy who debut in the third season of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime. They were enrolled into the original Duel Academy in order to increase the school's expanding influence. The champions are the star duelists from their respective schools and therefore allowed to stay in the Obelisk Blue Dorm.

These highly-skilled duelists serve as allies to Jaden Yuki and co., save for one, who eventually becomes a major antagonist of his own free will.

History

Anime

Arriving shortly after the start of the school year in the third season, they are introduced, along with Professor Thelonius Viper, to the students and faculty. Soon after, one of the champions, Jesse Anderson, is selected by Viper to duel Jaden Yuki in a exhibition match, after which Viper introduces the concept of Survival Duels to the student body.

During the Survival Duels, the champions act on their own agendas, with both Jesse and Jim Crocodile Cook becoming friends with Jaden and his group. Axel Brodie acts as Viper's agent during this time, before being betrayed by him, and later joins Jaden's group. Adrian Gecko attempts to discover what Viper's true goal is, and sabotage his operations. With the student body falling due to the Survival Duels, both Jaden's group and Adrian attempt to stop Viper.

When Duel Academy is transported to another dimension, the four champions assist Jaden in battlling Marcel Bonaparte's Duel Ghouls, though Adrian still has his own agenda. They work to find a way to obtain the "Rainbow Dragon" card and return home. They succeed, though Jesse is left trapped in the alternate dimension, and Adrian willingly stays.

When Jaden attempts to return to the alternate dimension to save Jesse, both Jim and Axel accompany the group. After Jaden's fall to darkness and possession by The Supreme King, Jim and Axel work to save him from himself. Jim falls at Jaden's hands, but Axel successfuly ties with the The King and frees Jaden, at the cost of his own life. After that, Adrian reveals himself and defeats Aster Phoenix, revealing his intentions to become the ruler of the dimension. Jesse also reappears, though he is now possessed by Yubel.

Adrian challenges Yubel for rule of the dimensions, but is defeated and absorbed. At the season's end, the four champions return to Duel Academy alive, save for Adrian.

Manga

The four champions appear in the manga version, though they all hail from Duel Academy's American Branch this time. Jim is immediately revealed as an antagonist and agent of Tragoedia. Tag Duels are set up between the American duelists and Duel Academy's students, but the teams of Jim and Axel and Jesse and Adrian lose to the teams of Syrus Truesdale and Chazz Princeton and Alexis Rhodes and Bastion Misawa, respectively. Through Principal MacKenzie, Tragoedia offers Adrian a place in the Pro League and gives him "The Despair Uranus", one of the "Legendary Planets". Unaware of Tragodeia's influence over MacKenzie, Adrian accepts, but is defeated by Jaden without ever realizing he was being used. Jesse has previously appeared to be friendly to the protagonists, but reveals that he, to is aligned with Tragoedia during a duel with Syrus. Jim, Adrian and Jesse all possess one card from the "Legendary Planet" series.

The Overseas Champions

• Jesse Anderson/Johan Anderson - A mysterious boy who shares a deep bond with his cards, Jesse is the champion of the North Academy.

• Adrian Gecko/Amon Garam - The adopted son of the elite Gecko family and a highly-flexible duelist, Adrian is the champion of the East Academy.

• Axel Brodie/Austin O'Brien - A talented duelist and battle-hardened mercenary, Axel is the champion of the West Academy.

• Jim Crocodile Cook - A duelist and an expert geologist and paleontologist, Jim is the champion of the South Academy.